Living With Diabetes

While there is no cure for diabetes, it is possible to prevent most problems caused by the disease. Because your body cannot control your blood sugar level, it's higher than normal level leads to heart and kidney disease, stroke, blindness, and even death. Controlling your blood sugar is the key to preventing the serious complications that can arise from the disease. The Alta Bates Summit Diabetes Program team can help you control your blood sugar. All our nurses and dietitians are Certified Diabetes Educators.

Our Diabetes Program offers you the latest information and technology to help you control your disease. Our diabetes specialists are nurses and dietitians work closely with you to develop a program that fits your individual needs.

The Diabetes Self-Management Pyramid

Controlling diabetes requires a careful blend of diet, exercise, and if necessary, insulin or medicine. Diets are important to help you maintain a healthy weight and a healthy blood glucose level. By selecting appropriate foods and timing meals to avoid experiencing low blood sugar, many diabetics can often reduce or even eliminate the amount of insulin they take.

Exercise is equally important in controlling diabetes. Used to increase circulation and burn excess glucose, regular exercise helps maintain overall health and improve the diabetic's circulation. It also helps keep excess weight down and helps control blood sugar because muscles use more glucose during vigorous exercise. In addition, exercise makes the cells more sensitive to insulin, enabling them to use it more efficiently. Our educators can help you choose an exercise program.

Testimonials

At the Diabetes Center we think it is important to share each others experiences. Here’s what patients are saying about our program:

• "I love my new diet. I’m finally eating foods that make me feel good and look good."
• "The exercise ideas I learned in class have motivated me to try new things."
• "I don’t worry as much about developing complications anymore because I’ve learned to control my blood sugar."